1. Field
This disclosure relates to a securement device used to attach a medical article to a patient.
2. Description of the Related Art
Healthcare providers routinely require access to the vasculature of a patient for delivery or withdrawal of fluids to or from the patient's blood stream. When such access is required over an extended period of time, it is common to introduce a catheter or similar medical article into the bloodstream of the patient. The catheter provides reusable access in order to deliver medication and/or fluids directly into the bloodstream of the patient.
In intravenous applications, a connector, for example, a luer connector, designed for attachment to a medical line can be coupled to a catheter at one end to form part of a catheterization assembly. Such a connector may also include a connector fitting, for example, a spin nut, to lock the medical line to the catheter. In this way the same catheter may be connected to and released from different medical lines in order to exchange the medical lines without the need to introduce multiple intravenous catheters into the patient's vasculature. In some cases, an extension set including a medical tube with a spin nut at one end is connected to the catheter so that the free end of the extension set can be attached to another medical line at a location further away from the insertion site than the catheter.
In order to keep a catheterization assembly or other medical article properly positioned for the duration of treatment, the catheterization assembly or medical article can be secured to the patient in a variety of ways. Most commonly, this involves taping the catheterization assembly or medical article to the patient.
Securing a catheterization assembly with tape upon the patient traditionally has certain drawbacks. The use of tape at the insertion site can retain dirt or other contaminant particles, potentially leading to infection of the patient. Tape also fails to limit catheter motion and, therefore, contributes to motion related complications like phlebitis, infiltration and catheter migration. Additionally, removal of taped dressings can itself cause undesired motion of the catheterization assembly upon the patient.
Taped dressings also require periodic changes. The frequent, often daily, removal and reapplication of adhesive tape to the skin of the patient can excoriate the skin in the area around the dressing. Such repeated applications of tape over the catheterization assembly or medical article can additionally lead to the build up of adhesive residue on the outer surface of the catheterization assembly or medical article. This residue can result in contaminants adhering to the catheterization assembly, increasing the likelihood of infection of the insertion site. This residue can also make the catheterization assembly or medical article stickier and more difficult to handle for healthcare providers.